Robert Griffin III on why he turned down offers from Cards, Ravens before 2017

The former No. 2 overall pick drew interest this offseason but did not play in 2017

Lost in the shuffle of everything relating to the year 2017 and the myriad peripheral storylines around the NFL was the fact that Robert Griffin III, the former No. 2 overall pick for the Redskins, did not spend a single minute on an NFL roster. But he now says that was his choice, and that he had offers from two different NFL teams.

Specifically, RG3 said he "had an offer from Arizona and also from Baltimore."

Asked why he declined to join those teams, Griffin said it was a numbers game in Arizona and an issue of timing with Baltimore. The Ravens specifically wanted him to suit up for their first preseason game against his old team, the Redskins, which would have opened up an opportunity for some revenge.

"In Arizona, the reason it wasn't a good fit because they had already -- Carson [Palmer] was there, I was willing to come in and learn behind an experienced veteran quarterback who's done a lot of great things," Griffin said. "They had the backup in [Drew] Stanton, they had also brought in Blaine Gabbert. Nobody lets four quarterbacks get practice time. That was the issue. It wasn't the coach -- the coach is a great coach, he's a quarterback whisperer. And it's a stable franchise.

"Baltimore was just, they offered me a contract right before the first preseason game, to start against the Redskins. Selfishly I could have taken that, to go play against them, but I knew I wouldn't have been ready with that offense, with those guys, to put my best foot forward."

When Griffin turned both teams down, he probably sealed his fate for the season. But he at least knew that.

"I think it's more so because I wasn't able to get into the offseason and work with a team. I had interest with in the offseason, it just wasn't the right fit. And I had to make that decision for myself and say if I don't accept that offer there's a chance I don't play football this season."

Interestingly, Griffin believes a team could sign him going into the playoffs? That's extremely optimistic, given he hasn't taken any snaps this year.

"I haven't given up on 2017 yet. There are still some teams who need quarterback help and may need help going into the playoffs," Griffin said.

There's been passive aggressive public debates between Griffin and his old coaches in Washington, but Griffin did sound humble in the segment with Jemele Hill and Michael Smith. There's a chance he could end up playing somewhere in 2018, but he might also be facing a pretty uphill battle considering how loaded this free agent quarterback class could be.

Depending on how things pan out in Washington, Griffin could even end up in the same market as his old draft class and depth chart pal Kirk Cousins.

Will Brinson joined CBS Sports in 2010 and enters his seventh season covering the NFL for CBS. He previously wrote for FanHouse along with myriad other Internet sites. A North Carolina native who lives...
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